Sunil Gavaskar advocates for key rule change ahead of IPL 2026

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar recently came forward and called for the reduction in the money given to an uncapped player in the IPL (Indian Premier League). He opined that the money limit for an uncapped player was raised to Rs 4 crore to accommodate former India skipper MS Dhoni into CSK as an uncapped star.

He also felt that the players who were roped in for large sums of money in the mega auction seem to flop as their drive and hunger for the game are already satisfied. 

“A whole lot of the players bought for huge amounts simply fade away as their hunger and drive are satiated. To the franchises, it perhaps doesn’t matter as they may feel it’s good riddance, but Indian cricket takes a bit of a beating at the loss of any player whether he has been successful or not. To accommodate Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who became an uncapped player before the auction last year, the limit was raised to Rs 4 crore,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

Furthermore, Gavaskar pointed out that he could not remember the last time when an uncapped player was brought in for a large sum of money and ended up putting in a good performance for his side in the IPL.

“In all these years, it is hard to recall an uncapped player bought for huge numbers who has justified his inclusion in the team. Maybe over the next couple of years, he may get a bit better with experience, but if he is playing in the same local league, then that chance of improvement doesn’t get much better. What does happen is that if in the next auction his price comes down, then the pressure of expectations also comes down and the player plays a lot better,” he added.

It is worth noting that uncapped MS Dhoni was named CSK’s captain after Ruturaj Gaikwad injured himself midway through the season, and under Dhoni, CSK have been unable to improve as well. The side became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after a string of poor performances.